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Phillies cannot overcome Kendrick's early struggles

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Mayberry's solo homer 0:47

3/30/13: John Mayberry unloads on a frozen rope over the left-field wall, a solo shot to put the Phillies on the scoreboard in the third

By Mike Radano
/
MLB.com |

PHILADELPHIA -- In their last starts of the spring, Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick and Blue Jays counterpart Josh Johnson each likely would have preferred better results. The two right-handed starters struggled Saturday in front of 40,811 at Citizens Bank Park in the second leg of the two-game On-Deck Series -- a 10-4 win for Toronto.

Both gave up four runs in the third inning and both were gone soon after, with the Blue Jays tacking on five more runs against John Lannan, Antonio Bastardo and Zach Miner. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion combined to go 4-for-7 with three runs scored and three RBIs, and Bautista's first-inning homer off the left-field foul pole put the Blue Jays on the board.

Philadelphia will now travel to Atlanta, where it will face National League East rivals Atlanta in a 7:10 p.m. ET start at Turner Field. The Blue Jays will return home, where they will unveil their new lineup at Rogers Center on Tuesday against Cleveland.

The Blue Jays jumped on Kendrick, the Phillies' fourth starter, in the third inning, when Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera and Encarnacion all drove in runs.

"I felt good," Kendrick said. "My arm feels good. My body feels good. Today, the results obviously weren't there. I fell behind in some counts and I gave up some runs. I was up in the zone, and they got some hits. The good thing is they don't count. I'll be ready to go."

The Phillies offense immediately responded, matching Toronto's four-run third in the bottom of the frame, which John Mayberry, Jr., started with a home run. Chase Utley drove in one with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Michael Young drove in two more with a double off the right-field fence.

Mike Radano is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.